Comparison of measured growth rates with those calculated from rates of photosynthesis in Planktothrix spp. isolated from Blelham Tarn, English Lake District

Complex effects of chytrid parasites on the growth of the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens across interacting temperature and light gradients

Chytrids are important drivers of aquatic ecosystems as phytoplankton parasites. The interaction between these parasites and their hosts are shaped by abiotic factors such as temperature and light. Here, we performed a full-factorial experiment to study how temperature and light interact to affect the dynamics of the bloom-forming toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens and its chytrid parasite. We used a dynamic host-parasite model to explore how temperature and light affect long term dynamics. At low temperatures, chytrids do not survive. Higher light and temperature levels stimulated both phytoplankton and chytrid growth, with complex effects on their dynamics. Model exploration indicates that increasing temperature and light shifts equilibrium outcomes from P. rubescens persisting alone to stable coexistence and then to limit cycles. This provides an alternative biological explanation for why P. rubescens is mainly found in the relatively cold and dark lake metalimnion - it may enable avoidance of its parasite. Our study emphasizes the importance of investigating how abiotic factors interact with biotic interactions to drive complex outcomes.

Phytoplankton Composition and Ecological Status of Lakes with Cyanobacteria Dominance

Phytoplankton is one of the five biological quality elements used in the assessment of the ecological status of surface waters according to the European Water Framework Directive established in 2000. In this study, we determined the ecological status of three small and shallow lakes in the Polesie Plain, Eastern Poland, by using indices based on phytoplankton assemblages. The predominant phytoplankton of all three lakes were filamentous cyanobacteria, both heterocystous and non-heterocystous, represented by the genera Aphanizomenon, Planktothrix, Limnothrix, and Planktolyngbya. We used the Hungarian Q index, German PSI (Phyto-See-Index), and recently developed PMPL (Phytoplankton Metrics for Polish Lakes) for Polish lakes. We compared the results from the calculation of the indices to physicochemical data obtained from the lake water and Carlson’s Trophy State Index (TSI). On the basis of TSI, Gumienek and Glinki lakes were classified as advanced eutrophic, whereas Czarne Lake had a better score and was classified as slightly eutrophic. The trophic state was generally confirmed by the ecological status based on phytoplankton indices and also showed the diverse ecological situation in the lakes studied. Based on the Polish PMPL, Gumienek Lake was classified as having bad status (ecological quality ratio (EQR) = 0.05), whereas Glinki and Czarne lakes were classified within the poor status range (EQR = 0.25 and 0.35, respectively). However, based on the German PSI, the lakes were classified in a different manner: the status of Gumienek and Czarne lakes was better, but unsatisfactory, because they were still below the boundary for the good status category recommended by the European Commission. The best ecological status for the studied lakes was obtained using the Q index: Gumienek Lake with EQR = 0.42 had a moderate status, and Czarne Lake with EQR = 0.62 obtained a good status. However, Glinki Lake, with EQR = 0.40, was classified at the boundary for poor and moderate status. Based on our study, it seems that the best index for ecological status assessment based on phytoplankton that can be used for small lakes is the Polish (PMPL) index.

Parasites do not adapt to elevated temperature, as evidenced from experimental evolution of a phytoplankton-fungus system

Global warming is predicted to impact the prevalence and severity of infectious diseases. However, empirical data supporting this statement usually stem from experiments in which parasite fitness and disease outcome are measured directly after temperature increase. This might exclude the possibility of parasite adaptation. To incorporate the adaptive response of parasites into predictions of disease severity in a warmer world, we undertook an experimental evolution assay in which a fungal parasite of phytoplankton was maintained at elevated or control temperatures for six months, corresponding to 100–200 parasite generations. Host cultures were maintained at the respective temperatures and provided as substrate, but were not under parasite pressure. A reciprocal infection experiment conducted after six-month serial passages revealed no evidence of parasite adaptation. In fact, parasite fitness at elevated temperatures was inferior in parasite populations reared at elevated temperatures compared with those maintained under control temperature. However, this effect was reversed after parasites were returned to control temperatures for a few (approx. 10) generations. The absence of parasite adaptation to elevated temperatures suggests that, in phytoplankton–fungus systems, disease outcome under global warming will be largely determined by both host and parasite thermal ecology.

Light as a possible regulator of MIB-producing Planktothrix in source water reservoir, mechanism and in-situ verification

The typical musty/earthy odor-causing compound, 2-methylisoborneol (MIB), is usually associated with the occurrence and proliferation of benthic/subsurface-living cyanobacteria in source water. Control of MIB-producing cyanobacteria in source water may greatly reduce the processing burden for drinking water treatment plants. We explored the mechanism and feasibility of restricting the growth of subsurface-living Planktothrix sp. by reducing underwater light availability. The effects of light intensity (5, 17, 36, 85, and 250 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1) on the growth and MIB production of Planktothrix sp. were first determined using batch culture, followed by an in-situ experiment deployed at different depths (0.5, 1.5, 3.5, and 5.0 m) in a drinking source water reservoir (Miyun Reservoir, China) to verify the laboratory results. The optimum conditions for growth (7.5 × 10⁸ cells L^-1) and MIB production ((1300 ± 29) μg L^-1) of Planktothrix sp. were achieved at 85 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1 in the laboratory and at 1.5 m (the corresponding average light intensity of 66 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1) in the field. The minimum light requirement for the growth of Planktothrix sp. (4.4 μmol photons m^-2 s^-1) was determined according to the laboratory data. While the in-situ experiment further indicated that Planktothrix sp. could not successfully grow at depths of 5 m where light intensity was below the minimum light requirement. In addition, the history data also verified the negative relationships between underwater light availability and MIB concentration.

Integrating phylogeny, geographic niche partitioning and secondary metabolite synthesis in bloom-forming Planktothrix

Toxic freshwater cyanobacteria form harmful algal blooms that can cause acute toxicity to humans and livestock. Globally distributed, bloom-forming cyanobacteria Planktothrix either retain or lose the mcy gene cluster (encoding the synthesis of the secondary metabolite hepatotoxin microcystin or MC), resulting in a variable spatial/temporal distribution of (non)toxic genotypes. Despite their importance to human well-being, such genotype diversity is not being mapped at scales relevant to nature. We aimed to reveal the factors influencing the dispersal of those genotypes by analyzing 138 strains (from Europe, Russia, North America and East Africa) for their (i) mcy gene cluster composition, (ii) phylogeny and adaptation to their habitat and (iii) ribosomally and nonribosomally synthesized oligopeptide products. Although all the strains from different species contained at least remnants of the mcy gene cluster, various phylogenetic lineages evolved and adapted to rather specific ecological niches (for example, through pigmentation and gas vesicle protein size). No evidence for an increased abundance of specific peptides in the absence of MC was found. MC and peptide distribution rather depended on phylogeny, ecophysiological adaptation and geographic distance. Together, these findings provide evidence that MC and peptide production are primarily related to speciation processes, while within a phylogenetic lineage the probability that strains differ in peptide composition increases with geographic distance.

Species-specific real-time PCR cell number quantification of the bloom-forming cyanobacterium Planktothrix agardhii

A species-specific method to detect and quantify Planktothrix agardhii was developed by combining the SYBR Green I real-time polymerase chain reaction technique with a simplified DNA extraction procedure for standard curve preparation. Newly designed PCR primers were used to amplify a specific fragment within the rpoC1 gene. Since this gene exists in single copy in the genome, it allows the direct achievement of cell concentrations. The cell concentration determined by real-time PCR showed a linear correlation with the cell concentration determined from direct microscopic counts. The detection limit for cell quantification of the method was 8 cells μL(-1), corresponding to 32 cells per reaction. Furthermore, the real-time qPCR method described in this study allowed a successful quantification of P. agardhii from environmental water samples, showing that this protocol is an accurate and economic tool for a rapid absolute quantification of the potentially toxic cyanobacterium P. agardhii.

Nontoxic strains of cyanobacteria are the result of major gene deletion events induced by a transposable element

Blooms that are formed by cyanobacteria consist of toxic and nontoxic strains. The mechanisms that result in the occurrence of nontoxic strains are enigmatic. All the nontoxic strains of the filamentous cyanobacterium Planktothrix that were isolated from 9 European countries were found to have lost 90% of a large microcystin synthetase (mcy) gene cluster that encoded the synthesis of the toxic peptide microcystin (MC). Those strains still contain the flanking regions of the mcy gene cluster along with remnants of the transposable elements that are found in between. The majority of the strains still contain a gene coding for a distinct thioesterase type II (mcyT), which is putatively involved in MC synthesis. The insertional inactivation of mcyT in an MC-producing strain resulted in the reduction of MC synthesis by 94 +/- 2% (1 standard deviation). Nontoxic strains that occur in shallow lakes throughout Europe form a monophyletic lineage. A second lineage consists of strains that contain the mcy gene cluster but differ in their photosynthetic pigment composition, which is due to the occurrence of strains that contain phycocyanin or large amounts of phycoerythrin in addition to phycocyanin. Strains containing phycoerythrin typically occur in deep-stratified lakes. The rare occurrence of gene cluster deletion, paired with the evolutionary diversification of the lineages of strains that lost or still contain the mcy gene cluster, needs to be invoked in order to explain the absence or dominance of toxic cyanobacteria in various habitats.

Toxic cyanobacterial blooms in reservoirs under a semiarid mediterranean climate: the magnification of a problem

Sicilian reservoirs constitute the most important water resources available on the island. During summer 2001, the intense water utilization of Lake Arancio reservoir reduced the water level significantly, which coincided with the formation of intense blooms formed by the microcystin (MC)-producing cyanobacterium Microcystis aeruginosa. During summer 2003, Lake Arancio was continuously filled and the vertical stratification of the water column was maintained resulting in five to sixfold lower cell numbers of M. aeruginosa. For both years, a significant relationship between MC net production and Microcysytis cell growth was observed, implying that Microcystis cell numbers can be used to infer MC concentrations in water. Unexpectedly, dense blooms of the MC-producing cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens occurred during winter 2005/2006 in the reservoirs Lake Pozzillo, Prizzi, Nicoletti, and Garcia but have not been reported earlier. In this season, MC concentrations higher than those recorded in summer were measured, implying that monitoring of Mediterranean drinking water reservoirs needs to be intensified during winter, a season usually considered to be less prone to the formation of cyanobacterial blooms.

The uptake of amino acids by the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens is stimulated by light at low irradiances

The rates of uptake of five amino acids--alanine, glutamate, glycine, leucine and serine--by axenic cultures of the cyanobacterium Planktothrix rubescens were measured over a range of irradiances using the (14)C-labelled amino acids at the nanomolar concentrations observed in Lake Zürich. The rates in the light exceeded the dark rates by as much as two- to ninefold. The light-affinity constants for stimulation were similar, indicating a similar process for each of the five amino acids. The E(k) (light saturation irradiance) for light stimulation was only 1 micromol m(-2) s(-1), less than the compensation point for photosynthesis and autotrophic growth, and much lower than the E(k) for either process. The E(k) for amino acid uptake was also less than the irradiance at which filaments obtain neutral buoyancy, which determines the depth at which they stratify and the irradiance they receive. This indicates that stimulation of amino acid uptake by light of low irradiances provides a mechanism for supplementing growth of filaments stratifying deep in the metalimnion, which, while able to grow at low irradiances, are often left with insufficient light to sustain them. Acetate uptake was also stimulated by light, but the kinetics differed.

Balancing the energy flow from captured light to biomass under fluctuating light conditions

The balance of energy flow from light absorption into biomass was investigated under simulated natural light conditions in the diatom Phaeodactylum tricornutum and the green alga Chlorella vulgaris. The energy balance was quantified by comparative analysis of carbon accumulation in the new biomass with photosynthetic electron transport rates per absorbed quantum, measured both by fluorescence quenching and oxygen production. The difference between fluorescence- and oxygen-based electron flow is defined as 'alternative electron cycling'. The photosynthetic efficiency of biomass production was found to be identical for both algae under nonfluctuating light conditions. In a fluctuating light regime, a much higher conversion efficiency of photosynthetic energy into biomass was observed in the diatom compared with the green alga. The data clearly show that the diatom utilizes a different strategy in the dissipation of excessively absorbed energy compared with the green alga. Consequently, in a fluctuating light climate, the differences between green algae and diatoms in the efficiency of biomass production per photon absorbed are caused by the different amount of alternative electron cycling.

Stratification by cyanobacteria in lakes: a dynamic buoyancy model indicates size limitations met by Planktothrix rubescens filaments

The ability of the Planktothrix rubescens to stratify in Lake Zürich is related to the size and shape of the cyanobacterial filaments. Detailed measurements made in the lake are used in a dynamic computer model of buoyancy regulation to investigate the vertical movements of filaments tracking the depth at which the irradiance would support neutral buoyancy. The movement of the filament lags behind the constantly changing target depth owing to (a) the time taken for the filament to respond to the irradiance by changing its density and (b) the time it takes to move by sinking down or floating up through the water column. The model simulates the stratification depth over a 5-month period of the summer from the continuous measurements of irradiance and weekly measurements of light attenuation and temperature, without any further adjustment over the period. Models using filaments of the size observed in Lake Zürich explain several details of the observed depth changes: smaller planktonic cyanobacteria (e.g. Limnothrix sp.) are unable to migrate fast enough and larger ones (e.g. Anabaena spp.) will overshoot and become entrained in the epilimnion. The model can be used to simulate recruitment of Planktothrix filaments from different depths after vernal stratification. Recruitment of filaments from depths down to 45 m will contribute to the metalimnetic population increase in early July.

Abundance of active and inactive microcystin genotypes in populations of the toxic cyanobacterium Planktothrix spp

To investigate the abundance of active and inactive microcystin genotypes in populations of the filamentous cyanobacterium Planktothrix spp., individual filaments were grown as clonal strains in the laboratory and analysed for microcystin synthetase (mcy) genes and microcystin. Twenty-three green-pigmented strains of P. agardhii originating mostly from shallow water bodies fell into two groups, those possessing mcyA and those lacking mcyA. In contrast, all of the 49 strains that were assigned to the red-pigmented P. rubescens contained mcyA. One strain of P. agardhii and eight strains of P. rubescens contained the total microcystin synthetase gene cluster but were found inactive in microcystin synthesis. To investigate the natural abundance of inactive mcy genotypes in P. rubescens individual filaments sampled from Lake Irrsee and Lake Mondsee (Austria) were analysed directly for the presence of mcyA and microcystin by matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionisation time-of-flight mass spectrometry. All filaments assigned to P. rubescens contained mcyA. The proportion of inactive microcystin genotypes in populations with a low (Irrsee) or high density (Mondsee) of P. rubescens was 5% and 21%, each. The results of this study demonstrate that P. rubescens typically contain mcy genes whereas P. agardhii have a patchy distribution of mcy genes. In both species microcystin producers co-occur with non-microcystin producers due to the absence/inactivation of mcy genes.